Verb Tenses
simple, perfect, emphatic, and
progressive
Simple Verb Tense
• simple verb tense
– past tense shows what happened before now, in the past
• Verb + -ed (unless irregular)
– Jesse ran in the race yesterday.
– present tense shows what is happening now, or it shows
constant or repeated action. It can also represent a
general truth.
• Jesse currently runs in the race. (now)
• Jesse runs every day. (repeated action)
• Air contains oxygen. (general truth)
– future tense shows what will happen later, in the future.
• Will + verb
– Jesse will run in the race tomorrow.
Practice
• 1. The basketball team (practiced / practices / will
practice) tomorrow afternoon.
• 2. Yesterday, Ryan (ate / eats / will eat) in the
cafeteria for lunch.
• 3. The Earth (revolved / revolves / will revolve) around
the Sun.
• 4. Marsha always (sat / sits / will sit) in the same
place for every pep rally.
• 5. Louis _____ his bike on the way home from school
last week.
Practice
• 6. Last year, the swim team __________ the state
championship.
• 7. I __________ chemistry now.
• 8. The tuna casserole __________ by tomorrow, so
please eat it tonight.
• 9. We __________ to the movies every Saturday
night.
• 10. Water molecules __________ two hydrogen
atoms and one oxygen atom.
Perfect Tense
• past perfect – used to show which event happened before the other
• had + [verb + -ed, -en]
– When I saw you yesterday, I had lost my keys.
• present perfect – used to show an action that happened in the past but has
continued into the present
• has/have + [verb + -ed, -en]
– I have lived in Mississippi for ten years.
• future perfect – used to show that one action will happen before the other
one
• will + have + [verb + -ed, -en]
– By the end of the year, you will have studied Julius Caesar.
• 1. By the time Jeff (had finished / has finished / will
have finished) the job, his dinner was cold.
• 2. Erin (had read / has read / will have read) as many
books as I have.
• 3. If I can catch one more butterfly, I (had collected /
have collected / will have collected) a total of twenty.
• 4. Yvonne (had lived / has lived / will have lived) in
that house for twenty years and may never move.
• 5. For two weeks you (had fed / have fed / will have
fed) the neighbor’s dog, so you only have one more
week to go before they return.
Bellwork
(12/1/11)
• Write each sentence, filling in the blank with the appropriate
perfect tense of the verb in parenthesis.
– 1. John sold vegetables that he __________. (raise)
– 2. By next Saturday noon, I __________ my
housework. (finish)
– 3. Renee __________ the car when George arrived.
(wash)
– 4. Betty __________ in this contest for ten years now.
(compete)
– 5. Judy __________ thirty dollars by the end of this
month. (save)
– 6. Ren wondered where he __________ his keys.
(leave)
Bellringer
12/2/11
• Perfect Tense Quiz
– You may use your own notes.
Bellwork
(12/5/11)
Directions: Write each sentence, using the
perfect tense of the verb in parenthesis.
• 1. Currently, she __________ in Cleveland for
four years. (live)
• 2. I __________ this assignment by the end of the
day. (start)
• 3. Some students __________ the piano before
they switched to the violin. (learn)
• 4. When the season ends, the team __________
every school on its schedule. *(beat)
• 5. My best friend __________ an iPod when I met
her. *(buy)
Verb Tenses
• progressive verb tense – verb tenses that use the –ing form
of a verb with a helping verb
• shows an action in the process of happening during a certain time period
• [form of the verb “be” + verb + -ing]
– am, is, are, was, were, will be
– past progressive
• Jesse was running in the race when I was still asleep.
– present progressive
• Jesse is running in the race now.
– future progressive
• Jesse will be running for over an hour
Practice
• 1. I (was reading / am reading / will be reading)
my book while I waited for the bus to arrive.
• 2. Marcus (was playing / is playing / will be
playing) first string this year if he tries out for the
team.
• 3. The kitten (was playing / is playing / will be
playing) with the yarn now, but it will soon take a
nap.
Practice
• 1. As of right now, the customer (was waiting /
is waiting / will be waiting).
• 2. Before he got sick, he (was running / is
running / will be running) every day.
• 3. In two hours, I (was studying / am studying /
will be studying) for my final exams.
Bellwork
(12/6/11)
Write each sentence, completing the blank with the progressive tense
of the verb in parenthesis. Use your notes from yesterday.
• 1. KPLA ____________________ the hits of the 1970s on the
radio this moment. (broadcast)
• 2. When the recess bell rang, Jesse ____________________ a
long division problem on the blackboard. (write)
• 3. Ian ____________________ on the computer system for the
next two weeks. (work)
• 4. Between 1942 and 1944 the Frank and Van Damm families
____________________ in a Amsterdam office building. (hide)
• 5. Presently, I ____________________ for the first paperback
editions of all of Raymond Chandler's books. (look)
Bellringer
(12/12/11)
• Write each sentence, using the progressive
tense of the verb in parentheses.
– 1. You _______________ for school at this very
moment. (leave)
– 2. The band _______________ for an hour last
weekend before it finally took a break. (play)
– 3. The students _______________ to read
Thomas Sowell’s how-to book next semester.
(plan)
Perfect Progressive Tense
• The perfect and progressive verb tenses can
be combined into the perfect progressive
tense.
– “to have” + been + main verb + -ing
• past perfect progressive
– Jesse had been running in the race when Carl arrived.
• present perfect progressive
– Jesse has been running for over an hour.
• future perfect progressive
– In ten minutes, Jesse will have been running for an hour and
a half.
• 1. They (had been talk, had been talking, have been talking)
before the teacher entered the classroom.
• 2. She (had been working, has be working, has been working)
at the coffee shop for two years now.
• 3. Sam gained weight because he (had overeating, had been
overeating, has been overeating)
• 4. James (been teaching, will be teaching, will have been
teaching) at the university for more than a year by the time he
leaves for Asia.
• 5. The cargo ships (be dock, has been docking, have been
docking) in the port this morning.
• Write the sentences, using the perfect progressive form of the
verb in parentheses.
– 1. Mary ____________________ a little sad right now.
(feel)
– 2. Jason ____________________ for over an hour when
Tony arrives later. (talk)
– 3. I ____________________ for an hour when my
roommate entered. (read)
– 4. Presently, Carly ____________________ really upset.
(act)
– 5. The hosts ____________________ for two hours when
her plane finally arrives at 9 am. (wait)
Practice
Write each sentence, completing the blank with the perfect progressive
tense of the verb in parentheses.
1.
I _______________ in Minneapolis since 1999. (live)
2.
Students _______________ these materials in the lab this period.
(test)
3.
Hemingway _______________ losing his self-confidence before he
wrote his famous books. (lose)
4.
By the time he finishes the semester, Geraldo _______________
parasites in biology class. (study)
5.
They _______________ on the exams before the school installed
cameras. (cheat)
Practice
• English I: workbook page 145
• English II: workbook pages 176
Bellringer
(12/7/11)
• Get your workbook and complete the
following review page:
– You may want to use your class notes for
help.
• English I: workbook page 145
• English II: workbook page 177
Verb Tenses
• emphatic tense – uses the helping verbs do,
does, or did.
– used for emphasis or to ask a question
– [do] + main verb
• present emphatic (does, do)
– I do like spaghetti.
– Do you like spaghetti?
– He does not like spaghetti.
• past emphatic (did)
– I did enjoy the movie.
– Did they enjoy the movie?
– They did not enjoy the movie.
• Which of the following sentences use the emphatic verb
tense?
– 1. She does like classical music
– 2. I do my homework after class.
– 3. He does a good job every day.
– 4. Larry did enjoy the book he read last month.
– 5. We did our best work today.
– 6. Do you own your own bicycle?
• Write the following sentences using the emphatic form of the
verb in parentheses.
– 1. Sheila _________________ a picture today. (draw)
– 2. We ________________ our homework. now (finish)
– 3. I ________________ a bicycle currently. (own)
– 4. We are ________________ coffee. (to drink)
– 5. ____ they __________ the book in the past? (enjoy)
– 6. Today, you ________________ for an opportunity. (wait)
Practice
• Write each sentence, completing the blank with the
progressive tense (“be”) of the verb in parentheses.
– 1. I __________ more macaroni now, please. (want)
– 2. She __________ to the park yesterday. (go)
– 3. We __________ all of our allowance on candy last
summer. (spend)
– 4. Robert __________ permission to go to his locker in the
future. (need)
– 5. My father __________ I should go to Harvard, but now is
changing his mind. (think)